| Abstract | The 1996 by-census is particularly interesting for two key reasons. First, by comparing it with the 1986 by-census (two years after the Joint Declaration was signed by Britian and China), population changes can be assessed for the transition period, with all its unexpected developments and uncertainly. Second, it provides a snapshot of Hong Kong society on the eve of the return to China thus revealing the major emerging trends, and the challenges these will pose for the government of the new Special Administrativie Region. |
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